A fun spin on serious cosmic stuff! Wendell C. Perry has 40 years experience studying astrology and how it impacts personalities & relationships. He's written two books & published articles in astrology magazines. He's happy to share this website so that you, too, can have fun with astrology to help you in everyday life!
A Mars/Venus Compatibility Analysis for Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
Last year Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel became engaged. The two have been an on-and-off couple for some time but now it seems they are finally ready to make the big commitment.
What follows is a Mars/Venus Compatibility Analysis for Timberlake and Biel. Let’s see how the Mars and Venus signs of this couple relate to one another. Keep in mind that we are only looking at Mars and Venus signs. For a complete compatibility analysis we would have to consider the Sun, Moon and Ascendant and many other factors including aspects between the planets in one horoscope and planets in the other. This analysis is designed to give us a quick read of the sexual and romantic compatibility of a couple. To make it a little more fun, I’ve given each combination a numeric rating.
In previous articles I have discussed the importance of the cycle of Saturn. It is also the subject of my book, Saturn Cycles: Mapping Changes in Your Life. As Saturn moves around the zodiac it forms aspects with the place it occupied on the day of your birth. Every 28 years it returns to that place. Every 7 years it makes a 90 or 180 degree aspect to that degree of the zodiac. These aspects mark important transition points in your life. They also test us, both in terms of our abilities and our character.
One celebrity who is currently experiencing one of these periods of transition is George Clooney (click here to see Clooney’s horoscope.) Clooney was born with Saturn at 29 degrees of Capricorn. Right now Saturn is moving retrograde at 29 degree of Libra, in a nearly perfect 90 degree square to its natal position.
The changes that coincide with Saturn transits are often quite public. There could be a major shift in your career or in your relationships. The great triumphs of our lives often occur during these Saturn aspects. So do the most painful defeats. However, these changes can also be quiet and personal, like an intimate conversation that alters your entire outlook on life or a seemingly unimportant event that becomes the catalyst for a much larger realization. For Clooney, transiting Saturn is in the secretive 8th house, so the changes it brings may not be immediately evident.
At this point we don’t know what form Clooney’s present Saturn transit will take. His movie, “The Descendants” was well received and he was nominated for an Academy Award but Oscar night was not his night of triumph. Nor is there any indication that he is ready to abandon his well-documented bachelorhood. And yet, Saturn always leaves a mark and, at some level, important changes are percolating.
Saturn has not yet completed its aspect to Clooney’s natal Saturn. It went retrograde (started moving backwards relative to the earth) in early February just 21 minutes of the arc away from an exact aspect. Saturn will continue its retrograde motion until June and then complete the aspect to Clooney’s Saturn in early October. Between now and October Clooney will be facing significant challenges and making important, life-changing decisions. He will be tested and it will be up to him to pass Saturn's tests.
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Mars, Pluto and the Monster Within Us All
We all have moments when we play at being monsters. Maybe it when we’re watching a bloody action or disaster movie. Or maybe it’s when we’re playing a video game or an on-line role playing game. For just an instant we put ourselves in the shoes of the “bad guy” or exult at imagined scenes of fiery destruction. We know it’s forbidden, even evil, but that only adds to the pleasure.
What we are doing in these moments is exploring, in a harmless way, the purview of Mars and Pluto. Mars rules aggression and physical exertion. Pluto is the planet of extremes and deep, transgressive desires. We all have a bit of Mars and Pluto in our natures. When Mars and Pluto are connected by strong aspects in our horoscopes these "monstrous" tendencies are more pronounced and, sometimes, they can get out of hand.
In rare cases Mars, Pluto aspects can manifest themselves in activity that is, by any measure, monstrous. You find these aspects in the horoscopes of many serial killers (Ted Bundy,John Wayne Gacy and Columbine killer, Eric David Harris, for example.) But the majority of people with these contacts in their horoscopes find far less destructive ways of expressing this energy. They may the person who simply can’t walk away from an argument. Someone whose aggression is a bit too intense. Someone who revels in making extreme, bombastic statements regardless of who they offend or hurt.
This brings us to Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh was born with Mars opposed to Pluto. (Click here to see his horoscope.) Limbaugh current hassle over remarks he made about Sandra Fluke is hardly the first time his commentary has gotten him into trouble. Many will remember when Limbaugh accused Michael J. Fox of exaggerating his Parkinson’s symptoms in order garner support for stem cell research. Over and over, during his long career, Limbaugh has been willing to say “monstrous” things in order to make a point.
Now that Mars has picked some speed in its retrograde motion, its influence on individual charts is not so toxic. Throughout January and for most of February, Mars was between 20 and 22 degrees of Virgo, creating havoc for anyone with the Sun, Moon, planets or angles (Ascendant, M.C. etc.) at these degrees or at a 90 or 180 aspect to these degrees. Now Mars is moving along (backwards) at a clip of about one degree for every two or three days. Its aspects still create problems but they tend to pass more quickly.
Let’s take a moment to review what Mars retrograde did during its slow sojourn in January and February.
On the Hollywood front the most visible calamity was the breakdown of Demi Moore as retrograde Mars crossed her Descendant (opposite her Ascendant) at 22 degrees of Virgo. Also, we have the breakup of supermodel Heidi Klum and her singer husband, Seal. Klum has Saturn at 22 degrees of Gemini (square to Mars) with Venus nearby at 24 degrees of Gemini.
Of course, for some people the influence of this transit has not been so heart-rending or destructive. Some manifestations have been more like irritations. There’s Ellen Degeneres, who has Saturn at 22 degrees of Sagittarius (with her natal Mars nearby) square to retrograde Mars. She had to deal with protests for homophobes regarding her being selected as a spokesperson for J.C. Penney. And then there’s Amanda Knox who had retrograde Mars square her Moon at 21 degrees of Sagittarius. She was informed during this transit that Italian prosecutors will continue to appeal the dismissal of their case against her.
